


Stage One

by MaxCassius



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, I Won't Say I'm In Love (Hercules Song), Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxCassius/pseuds/MaxCassius
Summary: Well, I was feeling a little - lot - cheesy and now here we have a little flufffic for my girlfriend's OC with her fave from FF XV, Ignis.





	Stage One

Step One

 

Serene had vanished a few hours ago, shortly after the boys had left the camp to backtrack to get the Regalia. She had said she wanted a little walk on her own, but also that she wouldn’t go far, since they were supposed to be watching the camp; so, frankly, Nova found herself getting uneasy. It was stretching too long for a walk and the sun was sinking. Daemons would be manifesting across the landscape soon. It was time to go looking for her. The former glaive rounded up Tea from her prayers and grabbed her bag of survival gear and weapons in preparation for a search.

It didn’t take very long. Out onto the haven and around behind the tent they found her, sitting on the edge of the runed stone platform they camped on, ghostly white pigtails tinted by the blue glow of the runes that would repel the daemons after nightfall. Heels of her boots braced on the ledge, her knees were pulled to her chest, and her head was pillowed on her arms that she had nested across them.

Confirming it as an unnecessary burden, Nova unceremoniously dumped the bag from her shoulder with a heavy clank. That, and she had no desire to be shot as a result of sneaking up on Serene; best to make some noise. Beside her, Tea, amber eyes soft with concern, looked like she was going to say something, but Serene beat her to the punch.

“If there’s a prize for rotten judgment,” Her voice was shaking as she sang, whether from bitter humor or embarrassment, Nova couldn’t be sure. “I guess I’ve already won that. No man is worth the aggravation.” She lifted her head to rest her chin on her arms instead, pink eyes narrowed as fiercely at the thin dirt road below as though she were staring down Ardyn himself. But now it was clear what she was singing. And about who. “That’s ancient history; been there, done that.”

Nova pursed her lips in thoughtful debate for a moment before she chimed in, moving to drop uncharacteristically by Serene’s side, hands braced, curled around the edge of the rock.

“Who’d you think you’re kidding? He’s the earth and heaven to ya,” Tipping her head, Nova gave Serene a knowing side glance. “Try to keep it hidden, honey we can see right through ya.” Serene ducked her head below her arms to try to hide her face as Tea placed herself more carefully on her other side and picked up to harmonize with Nova.

“Girl, you can’t conceal it, we know how you’re feelin’, who you’re thinking of.”

With a groan of dissent, Serene let her legs drop to dangle and fell onto her back across the backdrop of electric blue runes. Was it really that obvious? Frowning at the sky, she threw her arm over her eyes.

“No chance, no way, I won’t say it; no, no.”

“You swoon, you sigh, why deny it? Oh, oh.” The somehow grown women on either side of her sang, spurring Serene to push herself restlessly up.

“It’s too cliché, I won’t say I’m in love.” Righting herself, Serene turned her back on the others and, pointedly, the road that cut into the horizon. She didn’t want them to see the emotion on her face, looking after him in the distance. Crossing her arms, she angled one up to nest her chin in her hand. “…I thought my heart had learned its lesson. It feels so good when you start out.” Slender fingers moved up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she grimaced in frustration. “My head is screaming ‘Get a grip, girl, unless you’re dying to cry your heart out’.”

Eerily silent as ever in her movements, before Serene could properly compose herself she felt hands on her shoulders and, when she looked up, Nova was standing in front of her, stormy gray eyes boring into hers with Tea and her less-no-nonsense, more empathetic expression to her side.

“Girl, you cant deny it. Who you are and how you’re feeling. Baby, we’re not buying, hon, we saw you hit the ceiling.” Pausing long enough to pull Serene into a brief, affectionate embrace, Nova let go and stepped back with a quick cuff of her hand to Serene’s chin, picking up a gracefully languid pace around the other two women that Serene warily followed, unwittingly being turned back to face the road, in spit of the protests she sang, that Nova and Hepatica were plowing right through. “Face it like a grownup.” In the hazy distance, a dust cloud kicked up on the road. Out here, it could only be the Regalia. Residents of the countryside and refugees wouldn’t be this far off into the wild. “When you gonna own up that you got, got, got it bad?”

Serene followed the smooth and steady progress of the car with her eyes. Even too dar away to see, she knew who was driving and though her heart knew her protests were thin and not even remotely heard or even believable, she couldn’t control her mouth. couldn’t show her weakness in front of these other women, friends or no.

“No chance, no way, I won’t say it!”

“Give up, give in.” This time it was just Nova, turning to fix Serene with a look that she would imagine a mother giving a child that was being silly, reaching out to pap her cheek. “Check the grin, you’re in love.”

Hastily, Serene forced the tired, wistful smile from her lips. Why would it belong on her? How could the royal advisor to the king of Lucis ever return the feelings of a native of the Empire? The enemy.

On the tail of these thoughts and the way they clawed at her insides, her response was venomous and aggressive.

“This scene won’t play! I won’t say I’m in love!”

“We’ll do it until you admit you’re in love.”

“You’re way off base! I won’t say it! Get off my case, I won’t say it!”

The other women exchanged exasperated looks. All the effort had been to help Serene come to terms and accept her feelings, but… Nova shrugged before Tea took her turn to give Serene a fierce, warm hug and Nova gave her forearm a quick squeeze before letting it drop with one final say before turning to return to the tent to prepare to be reunited with the rest of their group.

“Girl, don’t be proud, it’s okay, you’re in love.”

Still, except for the toss of the waves of her long white hair in the evening breeze, Serene waited until they were out of earshot before returning to the ledge. Now she could just make out Ignis at the wheel, glasses glinting in the glow of the sunset, can of Ebony in one hand as the other rested on the leather of the wheel with steady confidence and control. Posture, absurdly perfect as always. Whatever she had said to the glaive and apostle, she felt her features soften and heart warm.

She knew how important he was to her.

“Ooooh, at least out loud, I won’t say I’m in love.”


End file.
